How to Play in ANY Key

Summary

The video explains how to visualize and play guitar in any key by outlining a pattern of notes across two strings. It starts with the key of G, showing the pattern of notes that comprises the G major scale. It then shows how to harmonize those notes into chords and demonstrates moving the same pattern to other keys like Bb and F. It explains how this helps diagnose and play in any key, emphasizing the importance of visualizing just 6 core notes in a key. It also shows how to use pentatonic scales and arpeggios over chord progressions, allowing you to start playing in any key.

Takeaways

• 😀 The trick to playing in any key is learning the notes in a pattern you can replicate (root, whole step, whole step, down a string, repeat)
• 👍 Use two adjacent strings and memorize the interval pattern (3-5-7) to visualize notes in a key
• 🎸 Add 3rds to root notes to outline major and minor chords in a key signature
• 🎛️ Use power chords on root notes to establish chord qualities
• 🎼 Construct arpeggios on chord tones to target chord changes
• 🔈 The minor pentatonic works over major key chords, especially 1-4-5 progressions
• 💡 Start simple with 6 essential scale tones then add extensions like 3rds, 5ths and arpeggios
• 🎸 The Super Pro Delta King amp has great tone for practice and home use
• 👂 This week's listening homework is checking out music by The Smile (Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood's band)
• 😊 The teacher is happy to answer any questions in the comments

Q & A

What is the main purpose of this video?

To teach how to play and visualize music in any key on the guitar by learning a common pattern that can be moved to different root notes.

What is the basic pattern for finding notes in a key?

A root note, then up a whole step, up a whole step again, down a string, then up a whole step and a half step. This gives you 6 of the 7 notes in a key.

How can you turn the scale degrees into chords?

By adding either major or minor thirds onto the root notes. Major thirds for the I, IV and V chords. Minor thirds for the ii, iii, vi and vii chords.

What is an easy way to play in minor keys?

Go to the relative minor pentatonic scale, which is usually 3 frets below the major key root.

What guitar amp is featured in the video?

The Super Pro Delta King 10 amplifier, a Sweetwater exclusive.

What does the instructor recommend as a next step after learning the basics?

Start incorporating arpeggios, the minor pentatonic scale, and exploring modal sounds like Mixolydian.

What radiohead side project does the instructor recommend listening to?

The Smile, featuring Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and other Radiohead members.

Does the instructor think he comes across as an insecure used car salesman?

No, he questions why a commenter would say that and points out he is just playing guitar in the video.

What is the affiliate link for?

Sweetwater - to help support the instructor if viewers purchase gear through that link.

What learning step does the instructor recommend after getting comfortable with the basics?

Start adding additional notes, arpeggios and scales like Mixolydian to expand your knowledge and playing ability.

Outlines

00:00

😃 Introducing the notes in a guitar key and how to apply them to chords/scales

Discusses learning the notes in any guitar key using a pattern on two strings. Goes through how to harmonize the root notes into major and minor chords and apply this concept to different keys like Bb and C. Talks about adding 5ths to make power chords and using arpeggios. Mentions being able to diagnose and start playing in any key this way.

05:01

😊 Moving the key concept to Bb and F and talking about the minor pentatonic scale

Applies the two string root note concept to the keys of Bb and F. Discusses building chords, using power chords, arpeggios and pentatonic scales. Mentions that the first six notes are the most important to know. Talks through examples of using major chords, then minor pentatonic riffs within different sample keys.

10:03

😃 Using the key of C and G to demonstrate applying theory and progressions

Gives examples of playing in the key of C using mini chords, power chords and minor pentatonic. Mentions establishing chord progressions and adding arpeggios, scales and modal playing. Transitions to discussing the featured amp and its qualities and strengths for practice and performing.

Keywords

💡Guitar keys

The keys on a guitar refer to the musical keys that can be played, such as the key of G or C major. The video explains how to visualize and play in any key on the guitar by outlining the notes in a key using a '357' shape pattern that can be moved to different root notes.

💡Intervals

Intervals like the major 3rd and minor 3rd are used to create mini chords from scale degrees. A major 3rd harmonizes the root of a chord, while a minor 3rd creates more dissonance. These intervals demonstrate how to make the scale degrees sound more musical.

💡Chord tones

The video shows how to add 3rds and 5ths to scale degree root notes to create chord tones. This helps map out and imply chords within a key to establish chord progressions to solo or play over.

💡Arpeggios

Arpeggios outline chord tones in sequence to clearly establish a harmony. The major arpeggio pattern shown can be used on any major chord in a key by finding its root on the low E string.

💡Pentatonics

The minor pentatonic scale is shown as an easy way to imply chords and solo in any key, as it fits well over major and minor chords. Its pattern starts 3 frets below the relative major key.

💡Chord progressions

Chord progressions establish the harmonic context to play lead lines or solos over. Simple progressions like I-IV-V are used along with pentatonics to demonstrate playing in an implied key.

💡Scale degrees

Scale degrees like the 1st, 4th and 5th are used to label and identify chords, as roman numerals make it easy to move chord functions between keys. The 7th degree uses a flatted 5th.

💡Lead playing

Soloing or playing lead lines is demonstrated by outlining chord tones and using pentatonic/scale patterns to connect ideas over chord changes. Phrasing relates lines to the underlying harmony.

💡Relative minor

Every major key has a relative minor with the same key signature, found by going down 3 frets from the major root. So Bb major's relative minor pentatonic starts on G.

💡Modal interchange

Borrowing chords or modes from a key's parallel minor is modal interchange. The mixolydian mode is borrowed from C major's parallel C minor to highlight a G chord.

Highlights

Learn the notes in a key in a way that makes sense and can be replicated in any key

Visualize and move around the fretboard using a simple 3-5-7 shape on two strings

Harmonize the root notes with major and minor thirds to build mini chords

Apply the 3-5-7 shape to any key by finding the root note and using whole and half steps

Add power chords and arpeggios to flesh out the sounds and play more musically

The minor pentatonic scale is an easy way to solo and sound good over chords

Go between chords and pentatonic scales to make interesting progressions

The Super Pro Delta King amp has great tone and features for practice and home use

Sweetwater exclusive Super Pro Delta King amp sponsored the video

Affiliate link provided to support the channel when purchasing the amp

Listening homework this week is music by The Smile, with members of Radiohead

Criticism received about hand gestures and used car salesman impressions

Questions and comments can be directed to the website, Instagram or YouTube comments

Thanks expressed to Sweetwater and Supro for sponsoring the video

Invitation offered to ask any questions or leave comments

Transcripts

when I'm not drunk with power from

blocking a spam email and then reporting

is junk right after I like to answer

questions and comments that get on

YouTube so let's get to it if G is the

People's Key and C is perhaps the

teacher's key I still need your

perspective on the rest of the keys all

right super cool quick lesson about how

to play in absolutely any key all the

keys all right the trick is to learn the

notes in a key in a way that makes sense

that you can replicate over and over

through any key all right so I'll start

in the People's Key and the key G even

though we talk about it all the time and

then we're going to move it to

absolutely any key all right so I think

the best way to do this is do this

across two strings learn six notes G is

the third fret on the low E string okay

now you should probably know a little

bit about how to find the names of the

notes all right I'll run through it

super quick you can look this up

anywhere else but like here's the E open

E there's no e so e f f g g sharp starts

over again a a sharp b c c d d d Shar e

okay so we're going to assume that you

can find a root note on the low E string

that's the prerequisite for

understanding this but basically we've

just got

this these six notes okay one simple

shape 35 7 357 basically we have a root

note wherever we start we're just happen

to start it on a g to start with the

People's Key right here and then we go

two Frets higher and two Frets higher

you can do it in one hand shape like

this pointer finger ring finger pinky or

however you play a three notes per

string thing this isn't about playing

three notes per string this is about

visualizing and moving around and then

the same thing on the a string 3 5 7

okay so these are six of the seven notes

so you need an any key now the funny

thing is we could continue on and go

through all the rest of the notes in a

shape but I do think once you start

Crossing strings it's easy for our

brains to get super confused two strings

is a really really solid place to start

no matter what you're doing anybody can

handle two strings 357 357 and then as

long as we're here let's go another

whole step and another half step that

gives us the entire key okay now it

doesn't give us all the notes from

anywhere but we have a starting off

point for any single chord in this key

which we going to move around okay now

once you have this information there's a

million different there's an infinite

amount of things that you can do I spent

a lot of time on my videos just talking

about this but let's talk about what we

can do with these notes first thing

let's turn them all into representatives

of major and minor chords all right all

we have to do is add third onto that

what this is going to look like is now

going to become

[Music]

this okay so we're just adding another

note we're harmonizing the root note and

we're starting to get the vibe of a

chord okay there's only two ways to do

this a major third or a minor third a

root note and a major third

looks like this like the beginning of a

G major chord by the way have you

noticed how amazing the superpro amp

looks and sounds this is a Sweet Water

exclusive that they sent me this video

is sponsored by Sweet Water we're going

to talk more about this amp in a second

but there is an affiliate Link in the

description for this amp because this is

my favorite practice home studio amp

that you'll ever see really good price

amazing sound as you can tell here's a

root note and it's major third so any

major chord those are two notes you can

play all right so the major chords are

going to be found on the first fourth

and fifth degrees 1 2 3 4

[Music]

five right there so now we've got some

little mini chords that we can do the

other one is just using a minor third

which is just taking its major third and

flattening it going back a fret so for

the second and third notes here now we

have this 5 e and 3

a Okay so we've got major minor minor

major major minor okay so we're already

starting to kind of go through all of

this and have some very

interesting things that we can sound a

little more musical than just the simple

notes in a scale now the great thing

about the minor one is we can also use

that on that seventh degree to get us

back to one so now we're starting to

play What's called a chord scale

essentially just by going like this

major minor minor major major minor

minor and then start again g to g okay

so this is the first thing that you can

do to replicate this all over the place

let's take another key let's take the

key of B flat that happens to be the

sixth note now we just take that same

advice that same kind of trick we

used

and these are all the notes in that key

right that shape that root note whole

step whole step down a string repeat

whole step half step is going to give us

the the notes in whatever key we start

on and then now we can start applying

those thirds to all of the other notes

in this key okay now how does this help

you play around at any keys well first

of all we have starting points to

diagnose whatever it is we're doing so

if we're in that key of B flat we can do

that or we can maybe add something that

you probably already know the power

chord that goes with that chord too okay

I wanted to start with the thirds

because it's a little more musical

whereas the power chord is just here

right root note and it's fifth so just

like we can go 1 2 3 4 5 6 we can go 1 2

3 4 5

6 and then change it up all right the

only one one we can't use a power chord

on can't again just being you know

staying within a key is that seventh

note that has 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 that has a

flat five so right these are just little

things you can memorize but for the most

part it's just like all right we've got

our root notes we're adding our thirds

we're adding our fifths right so let's

play through the B flat chord scale with

the thirds major minor minor major major

minor minor home now let's play through

it with the fifth super easy doing it

this way

[Music]

okay so that's the next step all right

now we can do this in any key key of f

there's the

F those are all the notes those are all

the chords right you can do them again

as major or

minor and it's like all right it's

starting to flesh out it's starting to

get a little bit more intense all right

the next step would be taking a fuller

arpeggio from that the one that I really

like to do is let's do it on the B flat

like that any major chord you can do

this with whole step whole step down

which again that's really just giving us

the the first three notes of that scale

and then it's power

chord and then the

octave and then we just repeat that

around different things okay so now you

can apply that to any of the major

chords The Next Step would be playing

any of the minor chords All right so

we're going to do that for another key

and then we're going to jump jump back

to everybody's favorite cheat hack just

the minor pentatonic okay so let's pick

one more key let's do uh let's do the

key of FP right so we got there's the e

f FP here's this let's turn into power

chords remember this those first six

notes I think are the most important to

really ever know if you don't take

anything else from this video aside from

that this incredible Sweet Water

exclusive super Delta King amp is

amazing take these six notes off of any

beginning location because even just

staying in the lower register there's a

million things you can do with that all

right so we do that we can do the major

minor minor major major

minor and then just run through it that

way we could do that

arpegio okay real quick I'll just run

through major arpeggio FP full Step full

step fifth there's the octave F whole

step whole step fifth compos for the B

string F whole step step fifth that's so

much of the fretboard already that you

can easily move just from thinking about

adding a root note expanding off it from

either a third A fifth or an arpeggio of

such all right don't know if that

sentence actually made sense the way I

constructed it but here we are all right

now minor pentatonic is what we have to

talk about because it's so easy on a

guitar to rip through the minor

pentatonic because no matter where you

are you've probably already seen it a

lot and it sounds like this go back to B

flat let's go to the minor pentatonic if

V major key is three Frets back okay so

that would also be the 1 2 3 4 five six

degree I think it's always easier to

go three frats back in most cases so you

can kind of stay on the lower register

because there's cool stuff we could do

like this

G relative minor pentatonic looks like

that there's a million different things

you could do to play around in

this okay when you have two notes per

string then you can really fly through

them just as

hams pull

offs double

[Music]

STS anything you want to do so let's

take some chords from B flat let's just

take the 1 four and five let's make it

very major

[Music]

major we only know how to do that

because just a root note and then it's

major

third and then let's do something in

minor pen attack so now we're just

playing we're just playing in the cuy

we've got we've got a

[Music]

chord I'm just going from the

chords and then jumping into

anything minor

pentatonic

[Music]

cord and then it sounds you know sounds

like I'm playing in any key pick another

key let's go the the teacher key the key

is c

[Music]

c

and again I'm just going little mini

chord into it I could do power

chords

[Music]

ouru and then back into minor pentatonic

so now I'm just kind of playing in the

key I'm establishing some kind of chord

progression it can be loose it can be

whatever you want it to be you know how

to build it off of just those smaller

shapes and then you start incorpor ating

the arpeggios the minor pentatonic and

then you've got some cool guitar shapes

and then you can start adding a little

bit to it every time what do you mean by

adding to it is like let's stay and see

maybe I know that I want to do something

based more off of G chord than it's

modal it's like okay all that stuff I

spent on the times learning mixian I

could do that too c f

g then I'm in that shape that mixian

shape that so many

people kind of spend time doing and

that's when you start adding little

pieces and I think it makes sense so now

you can play in pretty much any key

right I thought the Delta King 10 was

your go-to 100% it is I actually did

another video on this in a different

location for amp uh same amp but

different color way and the reason that

this is my favorite home smaller amp is

because it has like a lot of cool

features right it has a two band EQ for

Bas and travel it has built-in Reverb so

again this is a this light Reverb for me

how

[Music]

about again really cool with that uh you

know volume Master you can drive it also

has a boost and a drive switch so I can

just put the drive

[Music]

on and then I can use do that or I can

like do the the

[Music]

Boo and again it's not so loud that it's

going to like blow the doors down off of

anything so again thank you to suo and

Sweet Water for sending this over this

affiliate Link in the description

anything you get through Sweetwater

please use my affiliate link it really

helps me out I wish everything you were

saying wasn't meaningless to me that's a

pretty good everything I you know I wish

everything I was saying was also not

meaningless to myself you FL your hands

around like a used car salesman when you

talk makes you appear insecure and silly

do I flap my hands around when I talk I

feel like I have a guitar does this does

this count as flapping my hands around

strumming a

guitar an insecure and I I feel like

used car salesmen are don't they come

across as very confident insecure I I

don't know salty comment very very

interesting listenting homework this

week is going to be some stuff by the

smile if you guys don't know this this

is a radio head in my estimation it's

it's Tom York Johnny Greenwood Nigel

godbridge so most of radio head and

their kind of side project but it

definitely sounds like an awesome radio

head album so they released their second

album some really cool tracks on that

I'm going to link you one of those thank

you again to Sweetwater and suo for

sponsoring the video if you guys have

any questions or comments H me in the

comment section Instagram the website

and I'll will talk to you all soon